Taiwan News Quick Take

Staff Writer, with agencies

FISHING

Crew overpowers pirates

The crew of a Taiwanese fishing vessel fought against armed pirates off the coast of Somalia to retake their ship after it was hijacked off East Africa, authorities said yesterday. The 290-tonne Ching Yi Wen, registered in Greater Kaohsiung, with a crew of 28, including nine Chinese, eight Filipinos, six Indonesians and five Vietnamese, had been out of contact since Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. However, the crew managed to overwhelm the six armed pirates and retake control of their ship. “In my memory, this is the first time sailors of a fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates have freed themselves on their own,” Fisheries Agency Deputy Director-General Tsay Tzu-yaw (蔡日耀) said. The pirates fell into the sea, Tsay said, quoting the fishing boat owner, adding that details of the saga and the fate of the six pirates were not immediately clear. Tsay said three sailors were slightly injured and the ship was heading for waters off the Seychelles.

WEATHER

Wet weather forecast

A northeast monsoon could bring intermittent rainfall to northern and eastern parts of the country today, according to the Central Weather Bureau. The chances of rain in northern and eastern Taiwan could increase today and a stronger monsoon front and mist from the south later could cause the rain to last for several days, the bureau said. Central and southern Taiwan could also see some rain as a result, the bureau added. The monsoon brought cooler temperatures in the north, with daytime temperature estimated to have dropped yesterday to 29?C from Saturday’s high of 33.5?C. However, temperatures in central and southern parts of the country are estimated to remain above 30?C, with steady afternoon showers likely in the mountainous regions over the next two days, the bureau said.

ENVIRONMENT

Bird numbers up in Kenting

The number of Chinese goshawks and gray-faced eagles stopping at Kenting National Park every autumn as they migrate south during the past 10 years increased from the previous decade, an indication that conservation efforts have been successful, said Tsai Yi-jung (蔡乙榮), a research fellow at the park’s Department of Conservation headquarters. The park began counting the number of migrating birds passing through the area 23 years ago, Tsai said. Every year since then, investigators have been deployed in the park from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 to calculate how many of the birds pass through on a daily basis, he said. This autumn, nearly 120,000 Chinese goshawks and more than 45,000 gray-faced buzzard eagles arrived in Kenting on their way south to winter, the eighth and second-highest totals respectively, Tsai said.

SOCIETY

Inventors shine in Poland

A Taiwanese delegation was one of the big winners at this year’s International Warsaw Invention Show, which ended on Saturday, with 49 gold medals, 39 silver, 17 bronze and five special awards, the Chinese Innovation and Invention Society (CIIS) said yesterday. Among the 19 countries that participated, Taiwan has one of the best showings, taking a total of 110 awards, said Wu Chih-yao (吳智堯), secretary-general of the CIIS and leader of the delegation. One of the group’s winning inventions was a solar-powered tissue box with a screen that displays the number of tissues remaining. Another winner was a solar-powered manhole cover that is capable of zapping mosquitoes.